Friday soon arrived and Team McQueen were in need of a vehicle and fast! Team mate Dan and I did a lengthy tour on foot of the surrounding area. We were in search of a vehicle large enough to carry 8 (We had in mind a minibus). Instead we landed ourselves an awesome Suzuki Gypsy.
After trying to read a map with no roads on it in a car with no roof or windows, we arrived at The Ta’Qali National Stadium an hour and a half later. The track looked amazing. The set up of the event was already beginning to look amazing. I had left my car in a car park in London to finally be reacquainted in Malta. She was extremely dusty and in desperate need of a good clean, not a Problem with the amazing FastWax from www.autobright.co.uk but it was certainly exciting to see her again.
The day continued as relaxed as it began. The amateur Maltese drivers were out first for practice. This gave me a chance to assess the track for its full potential and spot a few drivers who may be competition. Pro driver practice began at 6pm and continued through to 11.30pm. It seemed so strange to be doing practice so late at night under such powerful floodlights. The atmosphere was chilled and nobody was feeling under pressure. All drivers were awaiting the events of the next 2 days…
Saturday began with all drivers taking a sightseeing bus tour of Malta. We drove around some of the most beautiful coastline I have ever seen. All were in anticipation of seeing the huge billboards advertising the event. We stopped at Golden Bay, a fantastic beach with golden sands and the bluest of waters. I had an interview with Gemma Hunt for Togethia TV, in which she asked me about my excitement and expectations of the event and my thoughts on Malta as a whole.
We arrived back at track at 2pm, giving me a chance to clean the car and await my teams arrival. Practice began shortly after drivers briefing. Unfortunately, on my 3rd run after a pretty sick wall tap, the car started to suffer with lack of power. We tried numerous solutions to rectify the problem but to no avail. It came to my attention at around midnight that my second boost pipe from turbo had a tear, which resulted in the car losing boost pressure. On hand was Chris Cauchi, a local lad originally from Australia, who piped up and said that he had a puncture repair kit that may work. We agreed to meet him the next morning to give it a go. We also spoke to Zisco Pro fabricators, who told me that they might be able to get a hose match for the next day. We were all fingers crossed either solutions would work. Off to bed we went…
